


Since Always

by LaMepriseFangirl



Series: Possible Endings to 9x23 Do You Believe In Miracles [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Season/Series 09, Angst, Episode: s09e23 Do You Believe In Miracles, First Blade, Gen, Mark of Cain, Season/Series 09, Season/Series 09 Spoilers, Speculation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-21
Updated: 2014-05-21
Packaged: 2018-01-25 20:17:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1661174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaMepriseFangirl/pseuds/LaMepriseFangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean has basically succumbed to the Mark of Cain. Sam and Cas are making one last effort to reach him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Since Always

Sam is frantically searching for Castiel in the abandoned warehouse where they've tracked Dean. Dean is out of control with the Mark of Cain and First Blade; they have to get through to him and either talk or knock some sense into him.

Sam finds both Cas and Dean when he hears a shout and a loud thump. He rounds a corner and sees Cas lying on the ground, presumably after getting thrown against the wall.

"Cas!" Sam rushes to the angel's body and helps him sit up. "Cas?" He's conscious, but barely; he's been thrown with much more force than Sam would have credited Dean with.

"Tried, Sam. I couldn't reach ...'r brother. You can," Cas tells Sam before his eyes flutter shut. He keeps breathing, to Sam's relief.

Dean is on the other side of the room, retrieving the First Blade from under a chair; god-knows how it got there.

"Sam, move," he commands once he has Sam's attention.

"What the hell's going on, Dean?"

"I'm gonna kill Cas."

" _What?!_  Why?!"

Dean tells him why, and Sam can hardly believe his ears. It's been so long since it happened, it's trivial.

"If you want to kill Cas for that, you're killing me first." Sam stands up and positions himself in front of Cas as Dean advances.

As expected, Dean pauses.

"Alright," he says after a second's consideration. "If you wanna go out protecting him so you can feel good about yourself, fine."

The warmth drains from Sam's body as he realizes just how far gone Dean is.

"You're gonna kill your brother so you can kill your best friend?"

Dean almost laughs at that.

"Since when are we brothers?"

"Since _always_!" Sam grows sober. "Do you really think that there is _anything_  that could just switch that off? Maybe I can't trust you the way I want to, but you're still my brother. I'd still do anything for you. I'll die for you, as many times as I have to. I'll live for you—I'd say Yes to an angel if you needed me to. ...And you were right, if the situation had been reversed, I'd've begged you to say Yes." It's not hard for Sam to picture it; the thought makes his blood run cold. "We're brothers, Dean. I'm asking, as your brother, don't kill Cas. Give up the Blade."

Dean's expression of surprise drops quickly. He shakes his head.

"If you'd do anything for me, step aside and let me do this."

"No. You're not yourself right now. I'm doing what you would want if you were thinking straight. I know you. The real you wouldn't want me to stand by and let you kill Cas."

"...Honestly? Whatever or whoever I am now can't be bothered to spare Cas because of somebody who spent the last few months pretending we weren't brothers, tellin' me that they'd let me die."

When Dean takes another step forward, Sam pulls out his gun and forces himself to point it at Dean.

"What're you gonna do, Sammy, shoot me in the leg? That's not gonna stop me."

"Then I won't shoot you in the leg."

"Oh, so you'd kill _your_ brother to protect Cas?"

Sam adjusts his grip on the gun.

"You- you'd rather I kill you before you killed Cas and me."

"Sam, there's not a 'real me' anywhere in here, or anywhere out there. This is the real me and if you don't like that it's different from what you're used to, too bad for you. The real me wants you to get out of my way."

"No."

"Sam," Castiel says suddenly, "I'm not worth one of you killing the other. Let him."

"Cas, if you die, you're _gone_ ," Sam replies without looking away from Dean. "I'm not letting that happen because Dean's... OUI."

"I don't think you have it in you, Sam, to shoot me."

"Not worse than killing a shifter or leviathan."

"I'm not a shifter, I'm _me_. You calling your brother a monster? A freak?"

Before Sam can respond to the verbal attack, he feels a hand grab one of his ankles and pull. He loses his balance and falls to the floor.

"Do it," Cas says to Dean.

"No!"

Dean takes the final steps forward, grabs Cas by the front of his coat. Sam already has his gun pointed at Dean again, waiting for a clear shot to his chest.

There's every chance that this is the wrong decision. Maybe the old Dean would have watched this scenario and told Sam to do it differently. Maybe Sam is going to regret this for the rest of his existence.

His vision is blurred by tears as Dean raises the Blade to strike, giving him the clean shot he needs. He can't even hope to hit his target now; he shuts his eyes tight as he pulls the trigger, because he has to try.

Both bodies drop to the floor, and then it's silent.

Sam opens his eyes to see his brother lying face-up on the ground. Dead, from a bullet to the heart.


End file.
